Slovenia said Thursday it was barring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from entering the EU country over his war crimes and stressing its commitment to international law.
The decision was linked to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the Israeli prime minister, Foreign Ministry official Neva Grasic said, according to the official STA news agency.
ICC last year issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes and crimes against humanity tied to Israel's attacks in Gaza and the October 2023 incursion that spurred the country's genocidal offensive.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its deadly war on Gaza.
The EU nation of some 2 million people, which recognized a Palestinian state last year, has been a vocal critic of Israeli violations in Gaza and Thursday’s move against Netanyahu was apparently designed to underscore the country’s policies.
Slovenia had already barred Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country and imposed an arms embargo on Israel.
"All countries that are bound by the international court, including Slovenia, must not recognize the situation resulting from Israel’s illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territory, and must not offer any support in maintaining this situation,” she added.
The Slovenian government said on X that the decision sends "a clear message to the state of Israel that Slovenia expects consistent respect for the decisions of international courts and international humanitarian law.”
By doing so, Slovenia "confirms its commitment to international law, universal values of human rights and a principled and consistent foreign policy,” the government added.
